


Calm

by Ghost0



Series: The Boys Are Back [4]
Category: DCU (Comics), The Boys (TV 2019)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:27:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost0/pseuds/Ghost0
Summary: In the hours following the Moscow attack and Billy's disappearance, it is time to start thinking about how to move forward. Maeve struggles with the weight of the threat she is facing, Ryan meets Raven, and Bella does some training under Jay's guidance
Series: The Boys Are Back [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971640
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Calm

Melinda Schwartz, the woman who became president following the Second American Revolution and Homelander’s fall, stood and looked out the window behind her desk in the Oval Office. It has been hours since the attack, twilight is now above the national capital. She wanted just a couple of moments of peace, dealing with advisors and releasing a statement to the public to try and calm them down and prevent any fear fueled riots. It didn’t make things easier when news broke about the attack at Moscow. She let out a deep sigh, the door opening and one of the Secret Service agents popped in.

“Madame President, Grace Mallory and DSPI agent Hughie Campbell are here to speak with you regarding the origin of the attack.” She slowly turned around and nodded her head, the agent allowed them inside, both of them sitting on the couch. Walking over, she sat down in the chair and leaned back. 

“It’s about time I’m finally being given answers.” She said. Her eyes trained on Hughie, waiting for him to speak.

“Yes, Madame President, you see…it’s alien. That’s the short version.” He looked up, trying to be cool. But his face was a little red, probably never thought he would be sitting in this room and talking to her.

“Honestly, I would be surprised if it wasn’t aliens.” Melinda had to give a small grin. “What do we know about them?”

Grace leaned forward, drawing Melinda’s attention to her. “The ones who attacked are foot soldiers. We don’t know how many, but they plan on a full planetary invasion. You are going to need every country you can and let them know to prepare for their armies to go at any given moment. We don’t know when they plan to attack, but they aren’t going to wait for all of us to get our shit together and make it a fair fight.” Hughie looked down at the ground for a moment, then looked up and nodded to confirm what Grace said. Holding her hands together, she slightly shook her head.

“We can’t worry about other countries. Right now, we have to focus on preparing our own defenses.” Grace had no reaction, but Hughie felt the need to speak up.

“Madame, please. We are talking about portals opening in the sky, releasing thousands if not millions of monsters. You saw that they will kill anyone and destroy anything they have to.”

Melinda looked over. “Their first target was us- “

“No! I’m sorry, but this isn’t just about us.” Grace curiously snuck a peek over towards the young man. “Their target is Earth. Not one or several countries. Their leader, from what we have been informed, doesn’t care about nationality, race, gender, or anything like that! All he cares about is that we submit to him.”

“And how have you been informed of this?”

“Allies that helped get Homelander out of office.” Grace answered. “They have fought against this threat before and have been successful. They have knowledge of their battle plans, know how they think and how they would react to a variety of scenarios. Their help is vital and they are willing to help. But we are going to need to let everyone in if we are able to successfully fend them off.”

Melinda closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a few breaths. Then she opened her eyes and gave a nod. “Fine. Your right, I do have to consider the big picture here. We should also look into spreading out the government supported Supes to other countries where needed.”

“I think it might be worth trying to reach out to…well, the other Supes.” Grace gave a grunt, most likely one of amusement at Hughie’s suggestion. Melinda raised an eyebrow at the young man.

“Those Supes are criminals. They refused to register with their own government and therefore any actions they took following Homelander’s removal is a criminal act.”

Hughie had to shake his head. “Most of them have simply gone into hiding, taking up secret identities. The few that have shown themselves in public actually do try and stop criminals.”

“Against established procedure, potentially endangering the lives of regulated Supes and innocent civilian lives.” She shot back at him.

“Madame-“ Hughie stopped for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts before continuing. “If we offer them a pardon for their involvement, we can get them to come and see the necessity of them being supervised by us. We need as many Supes as we can and this is the best way to do so.”

Grace looked between the two. Hughie realized that he was being a little assertive with the Madame President, especially for his rank. She just stared at him firmly, no clear expression on her face. Five seconds at the most passed, but it felt far longer for young Hughie. She eventually responded, “You are certainly an arrogant little administrator, aren’t you?” Hughie felt his face get red and leaned back in submission. But it seemed like he would get away scot free with that outburst. “All right, fine. I will put the word out in public media, but we aren’t going to actively seek them out. Whether or not they join is up to them. But I doubt many, if any, will show up. Now, get back to your team and figure out a way to end this before it gets to that.” The two of them get up, walking out of the Oval Office. When they were out of earshot of the guards, Hughie talked to Grace.

“Why didn’t we mention that we could beam our way to their planet?” He asked in a low whisper. “I thought you would be the one to bring that up. Considering you are almost as aggressive and pro-action as Billy-”

Grace stopped and turned around to Hughie. “Butcher is good at what he does. But he can also be reckless. I think you know that just as well as I do.” She waited to see him nod, both of them taking a moment to move pass Billy’s disappearance. “Besides, if you were the president and you were told that, chances are your first instinct would be to send all forces in a surprise attack. Only problem is you have soldiers that are completely human and would be easily torn apart, leaving the planet open for a quick and swift change in power. It’s best only we know about that and handle that ourselves, once we actually have a good strategy.” With that out of the way, Grace lead them both back to the DSPI headquarters, where the rest of the team prepared and waited.

******

“Can’t you just use your box to try and pick up where he is?” Becca sat down at a metal table, located in a makeshift overnight room. All that was in here was the bed, table, and a small kitchen with a fridge, microwave and sink. Scott and Barda were in the room with her, Scott taking off his mask and scratching his head. 

“It doesn’t quite work like that. Plus, Billy damaged the Mother Box during the struggle. Who knows where exactly they went to. It has the ability to go just about anywhere.” He didn’t want to say it, or maybe she is just reading into it. But to Becca, it seemed like he was purposefully trying to avoid the fact that Billy was most likely dead, maybe vaporized by the alien technology. She shook her head when he gave his response.

“Are you telling me that you have no way of finding out who has another one of these motherfucking cubes or where they might be? From what you can tell me, you guys are super advanced and can do a bunch of crazy shit! Why can’t you find one man! One guy…” Becca placed her elbows on the table and held her face in her hands. Frustrated and upset, she kept replaying that single moment. Separated for so many years, reunited only to be taken away again. That is if he is still breathing. Scott took a seat across from Becca while Barda walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

“From what has been said about him, Billy doesn’t sound like someone who would be easy to kill.” Barda said. “I am fairly confident that he is still alive and working on a way to get back to this planet.”

Scott picked his head up. “Did I mention I grew up on Apokolips?” Becca brought her hand down, looking at him as she fought back tears. “My dad and Darkseid thought by exchanging their sons, it would prevent war. Turns out, that wasn’t going to stop him from torturing me like anyone else. Put into all sorts of chambers and prison cells. He put one of his generals in charge of my care. Mean woman, but her name would throw you off.” He chuckled a bit. “I worked on finding a way to get out of every room I was in, trying to find a way out. Every time, I got caught and thrown into a new room, a whole new world of pain waiting for me. That’s how I got nicknamed Scott Free by his followers, always managing to get out of a trap.”

“Only to find yourself in a new one.” Barda interjected. “And you needed my help to actually get off the planet.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I did in fact escape.” Barda gave a slight grin to Scott, who turned his attention back to Becca. “Morale of the story is this – Billy will find a way out. I know it is easier to assume he is dead. And I won’t lie, we have to acknowledge that it is a possibility. But unless we know for sure, I’m willing to bet he is fighting his way back as we speak.”

Becca nodded. She reached one hand out to gently grab Scott’s. He gave a firm squeeze. “So, how is the little Supe doing? Ryan is it?”

She nodded. “He’s…I want to say that he is holding up. But he had been pretty quiet. Right now, I think he is out exploring this whole building. This place should be pretty safe, so as long as he doesn’t go out.” Becca thought of something to ask. “Earlier today, back at our house, those things – Parademons I think you call them – they went for Ryan. But not to kill, it seemed liked they were trying to catch him.” Scott’s soft smile melted away, looking concerned. She turned to look up at Barda. “What? Do you know what they might…?” She turned back to Scott, waiting for him to take in a deep breath. Then he told her what he thought Darkseid might want with someone like Ryan.

******

Bella kept running around the large room. Gaining speed and making sure she was focused, she cleared her mind and focused on the air around her. She felt it moving around her body. But she tried to mentally focus on the molecules and particles in her body. Making them vibrate, allowing the wind to move right through her instead. Changing direction in her course, she aimed right for an old file cabinet and kept herself going with no deviation. Just when she thought she might have done something wrong and would end up crashing, she ran right through it. Stopping, she turned around to look back at the cabinet. It hadn’t moved, she didn’t accidently veer off course, and it wasn’t swaying back and forth on the edge of falling over. Smiling big, she couldn’t help but laugh from excitement. Jay walked over and gave a soft clap.

“There you go! How did you feel?” He placed his hands on his hips as he looked at the young speedster.

“It was…holy shit! I’m sorry!” She blushed a bit. “But that was awesome! To go through anything like that! I never realized there was so much more to this super speed thing.” 

Jay rubbed his neck. “Well, it is more than just that. From what I can gather, this A Train and others like him on your planet were given their abilities through a drug. However, that isn’t how it works where I come from. We get our abilities from the Speed Force.”

She turned to and gave a curious look. “What’s the Speed Force? And is it the reason why I can run through things.”

“The Speed Force is what gives people their speed. I didn’t learn about it myself until years later, when I became friends with other speedsters. And yes. It allows you to use your speed in ways you probably didn’t think you could do. Such as phasing through physical objects, being able to process information in milliseconds, and even time travel.”

Bella perked up a bit, remembering the future world she accidentally travelled to back at the hospital. “I have been meaning to ask. How could I have done that if I didn’t even know what happened to me?”

Grabbing a nearby chair, Jay sat down and leaned forward. Resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t think I have ever heard of a new speedster accidentally time travelling when they first get their powers. It is very tricky to do, usually requiring a special treadmill that people back on my Earth have put together. But it is possible. But you have to understand the consequences of having that ability.” He looked up and gave a serious look to the young Hispanic girl. “If you were to go back and try to change something, it can lead to disastrous consequences.”

“I know, the butterfly effect and all that.” Bella nodded.

“This can’t be overstated!” Jay insisted. “You can erase people from existence. Ruin relationships in the present, alter events by having them unfold differently. Even if you do something that seemingly has no connection like the sort, you could set off a chain of events that leads to World War 3.” Bella made direct eye contact, getting the idea of the message he is trying to give her. He let out a deep exhale and softened his expression. “I just want to let you know that you can’t constantly be going back to the past to alter things in your favor. To go back even one day would be a risk. It is important to focus on the here and now, do the best you can right now to build towards something bright and sustaining.”

As Jay Garrick talked to Bella and trained her, Ryan looked through a window that was several feet above them. He was in a hallway that was technically one floor above the two speedsters in their large room. Curious as to what exactly they were doing, he wanted to listen despite knowing that was eavesdropping. He was focused on trying to have his hearing pick up on what they were saying through the glass. Didn’t even notice the young girl walking down the hallway towards him until she was right there. 

“What are you doing?” He turned around to look at the teenage girl. She was completely covered in blue, the only skin revealed being on her face. She showed no expression, a little diamond in the middle of her forehead. Her hair was a strange yet eye catching shade of purple. Looking down at him, she got Ryan feeling a guilty and looked down at the ground.

“Just was curious about what they were talking about down there.” The girl turned her head to see Jay and Bella in the room below.

“They are just training.” She turned back to look over the young boy. “Your Ryan, right?” He nodded. “Heard your mom’s husband is currently missing.”

He looked back up at her. “Yea. I guess the right term is stepdad. But I never called him that or dad. Felt too…formal I guess. I think that’s the word.” He played with his hands, looking downward. “My real dad…I kind of liked him at first. He was Homelander, had all of these cool powers. But then he…did a lot of bad stuff. And it was revealed all the other bad stuff he did. I try to not think about him, to try and forget him as best as I could.”

She looked down at the struggling boy. Turning her back to the wall, she leaned backwards and crossed her arms, looking upwards to the ceiling. “I wouldn’t exactly call my dad warm and fuzzy either. The only difference is that at least he lied about himself to you at first to make you think he was a good guy.” Ryan looked up, Raven, turning her head to meet his eyes. “He was a demon. I mean an actual demon. Ruled an entire dimension, but constantly trying to find others to rule and conquer. He forced himself on my mom, and then I was born. I had a confrontation with him once before, ended up locking him away. But I am always reminded about him and the threat that he presents.” She reached a gloved hand upward, gently feeling the small diamond on her forehead. “All I have to do is let my emotions get ahold of me long enough to drop my guard. Sometimes he talks to me, tries tempting me to just let loose a tiny bit just this once. Make me become more like him.” Ryan remained silent for a while, listening to the teenager talk about her father and noticing the similarities. But he had to ask.

“How do you live like that/” Ryan asked. Raven thought for a moment, trying to find the right way to put it.

“He tries to get me mad, to let my darker impulses get the best of me. But I don’t focus on that. I keep myself in control, try and not get overwhelmed. But that doesn’t mean I have to cut myself off completely.” She brought her hand down. “I do feel some joy when I’m working with my regular team back home. They will point out I don’t visually show it that much, if at all. But I still feel. Let myself make friends and connect with others. Just have to think things carefully, make sure something doesn’t go too far.” She reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “But even if that does happen, listen to those who care and like you for who YOU are. They can help you with whatever is wrong.” Ryan nodded in understanding, even smiling a little bit. A door opened, Annie sticking her head out and spotting Raven. 

“Raven? Would like you back in here.” She turned and nodded to the Supe. Looking at Ryan for a short moment, she gave in and held out her fist, which he bumped. Then she walked back towards Annie, the door closed behind her while Ryan went back to his mom.

Inside the room, Annie sat back down with Maeve, Kimiko, and Hughie. J’onn stood to the side, Raven moving to stand near him. Grace stood in front of the meeting room. “Couple things to go over. First, Butcher is off the grid. Planet to be more accurate. We don’t know where he is or what condition he is currently in. But we can’t focus on him right now. Our focus should be the threat at hand.”

“But what if he somehow ended up on this other planet?” Annie asked. “If he is a prisoner- “

“While that is a possibility, chances are he is somewhere else.” Hughie interrupted her. Getting a look from Annie, he continued. “I want to help him. But I know that Butcher can handle himself. At least long enough until after we take care of these aliens trying to invade and take over the planet.” Annie said nothing, but leaned backwards a bit. Hughie turned his head back to Grace and nodded. She then went on to mention the other piece of news.

“I just got a call from Director Lee, who has been informed that two formerly super powered inmates have escaped. I think you know exactly which two.” Maeve took a second to realize what she meant. But then she stood up and slammed her fists on the table.

“They escaped? How the fuck is that possible? I saw him try to bend the bars of his cell, failing miserably when he realized he is powerless!”

Grace stared at the angry Supe. “Calm down ginger. Reports from nearby inmates and guards detailed that a portal with several human-like creatures grabbed them and plucked them out of their cozy cells. I think our Martian friend can elaborate a little more on why they did that.”

Stepping to the side, she waited for J’onn to walk around the table and stand before the group. “I have mentioned to you the long-term goal of Darkseid. To conquer all life and rule over the multiverse. He accomplishes this by building an army to spread chaos and fear. But while he sends out his army, he is working on completing the weapon that will help him achieve his ultimate goal. It is known as the Anti-Life Equation.”

Maeve straightened up, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the green man speaking. “The what equation?”

“Are you saying he is going to rule over everyone…because of math?” Annie asked, secretly fighting back a soft laugh.

“The Anti-Life Equation is a form of brain control that erases free will. If exposed to the equation, you become a slave with no thoughts or actions to call your own. Darkseid has spent his entire life researching, experimenting, and trying to solve the equation. He was yet to achieve it in its purest form, but we have reason to believe that he might have completed a version of the equation. Considering they captured Homelander and Stormfront, instead of ignoring them or killing them, chances are that he can restore their power and make them serve him.”

Silence fell over the room. Hughie and the rest of Team Alpha shifted a little, processing the weight of what was spoken. Shaking her head, Maeve walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Annie started to get up, but J’onn raised a hand and stopped her. “I will go to her. Raven, would you please take over for me?” She nodded, J’onn walking past her and through the door. She took out the device used earlier to show holograms and blueprints about the layout of Apokolips, the tech they used for world conquest, and what to expect from an invasion.

While Raven took over, J’onn found Queen Maeve a couple of floors above the current level. She looked out a window in Hughie’s regular office, staring angrily out to the star filled night sky. Before he had a chance to ask anything, she made the first move. “You guys could have just left us alone. Sure, we would still be invaded and shit, but at last we would have no idea and die thinking we stood a chance. To know all of this and to still think we can beat him…I have to say, it doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”

“If there are people in trouble and we can do something to help, we aren’t going to look the other way. You must remember, we have been able- “

“Of course you guys fucking could!” She angrily turned around towards him. “Not only do the costumed fools on your Earth have all of these powers that can exceed even Homelander, but...your actual heroes.” She exhaled through her nose, keeping her face stern but her voice softened ever so slightly. “You save a cat in a tree because you want to help the little kid. Whenever one of us does something like that, it’s to build good PR so that they can merchandise themselves and get rich. Maybe one of them becomes a preacher to show his powers came from God. Meanwhile, as he frowns on homosexuality to his flock he gets head at a secret club built exclusively for us. As for me…I let Homelander convince me it is ok to let a plane full of people crash and kill everyone. I looked away and kept my mouth shut when he killed who knows how many more, either accidentally or intentionally. Now that everyone here knows the hard truth, people who used to be fans now gossip about what kind of shit I must have been up to behind the scenes. How many people must have died when I’m out in the field, saying that it was collateral damage. And now I’m a leader of a team? I’m not a leader, I’m a fucking joke.” Her head turned to the side, eyes pointed down towards the ground.

J’onn remained silent for a good while. Maeve thought he would end up just leaving her up here. But then he spoke up. “I have known people in similar positions. They found it easier to kill their enemies, to seek vengeance for the crimes they have committed. They didn’t care about being heroes at first, only wanted to accomplish a goal or mission. Not everyone who suddenly gains abilities or is born with them instantly has a sense of right and wrong. It takes time and practice to figure out how to act and behave, how to view the world and people around you.” J’onn moved a little closer to Maeve. “On my home planet, my people were in a war that killed my family. When I left for Earth, I was in grief and angry. I understand how experience can shape someone and darken their mind. The best thing I can tell you right now is that I could not have become who I currently am without reaching out to my friends.” She stared at him, not quite sure what to say. It was hard to read his expression, his face and eyes so different. But she thinks she saw something that seemed like compassion. He turned around and phased through the floor down below. She remained in the office for a little longer, thinking about her past.

******

When Bella ran, she was followed by green lightning. Jay watched, curious as to why this colored lightning is associated with this girl. When he joined J’onn and Raven in coming to this world, he felt the Speed Force tug him away from the group and pointed him towards Bella. And now with the odd colored lightning, he is wondering if the Speed Force purposefully chose her for a specific reason. Maybe she is meant to do something. Or maybe it is just symbolic of the fact that she is the first speedster on this Earth and is just unique. He had her try and run on walls and the ceiling, get used to how truly fast she is able to go. 

When the tube first opened, he didn’t realize it for exactly one second. Not that long of a delayed reaction for most, an eternity for someone like Garrick. That delay proved long enough for a woman with a crazy smile on her face to reach out and try to claw at him. He dodged, but he was simply reacting and not actively making any movements to try and gain the advantage. Then he felt spikes pierce one of this legs, yelling out in pain as the blood began to leak out of his body.

But Bella ran over and punched the smiling woman hard enough to send her flying and crashing against a wall. She looked at the young girl, smiling and laughing as she scraped her claws against the wall she was up against. Two more woman came out of the tube before it closed. One of them held a whip in her hand, but the other simply stood and stared. Bella thought about fighting right there, but looked over to Jay and saw him trying to get back up despite the wound in his leg. Silently praying that the Speed Force can give her super strength, she ran and grabbed Jay, trying to get him to a room with medical supplies and get to the others. Even though she had a bit of a lead, the invaders moved quickly to infiltrate, excited to show the defenders the true power of the Female Furies.


End file.
